New NCAA football rule works in Texas State’s favor

A new rule on the books in NCAA football worked in Texas State’s favor last week in Lake Charles, La. It helped preserve the Bobcats’ 21-14 victory over the McNeese State Cowboys.

Trailing by the eventual final score, McNeese State had the ball with 15.6 seconds remaining at the Texas State 13-yard line.

On a McNeese pass play, Texas State blitzed. McNeese quarterback Cody Stroud, under pressure from Bobcats’ linebacker Josh Minde, was called for intentional grounding with eight seconds remaining.

Because of the new rule, a 10-second clock run-down was called, ending the game and handing the Bobcats their fourth straight victory.

“We blitzed, got good pressure on the quarterback, and the quarterback in trying to avoid the sack got called for intentional grounding,” Texas State coach Dennis Franchione said. “I believe that came with eight seconds on the clock.”

The clock run-off wiped out the remaining time.

‘We made the new rule work for us, took the 10-second run-off, and that ended the game,” Franchione said.

The rule was installed in the offseason to prevent teams from taking a penalty late in a game to stop the clock.

As written, the rule goes into effect in the final minute of each half on a penalty that stops the clock.

The rule gives the penalized team’s opponent one of two options — take the penalty yardage and a 10-second run-off of the clock, or take the penalty without the run-off, if it wants to preserve the time.

The end of the Music City Bowl last December generated discussion that brought about the change.

In that game, North Carolina drew a flag with one second left against Tennessee for having too many men on the field.

Subsequently, the stoppage gave the Tar Heels an opportunity to line up their field-goal unit. The kick was good, tying the game.

North Carolina later won in double overtime.

If the rule had been in effect last year, the 10-second run-ff would have ended the game before the field goal, and Tennessee would have won.

Likewise, without the rule last week, McMeese would have had at least one more shot at throwing into the end zone on Texas State.

A Texas State mistake set up the final, frantic seconds. Texas State failed to get off a punt when punter Ben Follis bobbled the snap.

McNeese, frustrated in two previous attempts to tie the game, took over with one last shot to make something happen.